Compound explosive-engine.



Patented lan. I4, |902.

F. w. ToEnT. COMPOUND EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

(Appncaeiongledmr. 19, 1901.)

(No Modem Illllllllllm Il'. IIIIIIII llniirnn @rares Parenti Prien.

FREDERICK YV. TOEDT, OF HAMBURGUVIO'WA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,083, dated January14, 1902. Application led March 19. 1901. Serial No. 51,921. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. TOEDT, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residin g at Hamburg, in the county of Fremont and State of Iowa,have invented new and useful Improvements in Compound Explosive-Engines,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements incompound explosiveengines of the four-cycle typefwhere there is used ahigh-pressure and a low-pressure cylinder; and the invention consists inthe construction and arrangement of the parts wherebythe charge afterbeing exploded is passed from the high-pressure cylinder to thelowpressure one to effect a second motion of the pistons and utilize theunexpended force, which usually remains unutilized, the movement beingeffected without a further expenditure of the explosive mixture, themomentum beingimparted by the first and second impulses, the third andfourth movements clearing the cylinders of the products of combustionand drawing a charge into the high-pressure cylinder, the fourth motionalso compressing the charge, as will be hereinafter more fully setforth.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 isa plan view of an engine-constructed in accordance with my improvement,the cylinders and one of the pistons being shown in section. Fig. 2 isacross-section taken on the'line c c of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detailview showing a modification of the port between the cylinders.

The cylinder is of the compound type and is made up to provide ahigh-pressure cylinder 1 and in line therewith a low-pressure cylinder2, the high-pressure cylinder being somewhat longer than thelow-'pressure one to provide between its piston and its head anexplosion-chamber. The high-pressure cylinder is partially surrounded bya Waterchamber 3 and has on one side a way 4,whicl1 connects with thecylinder 1 by a port 5, an exit-port 6 being provided near the other endof the way 1i. The cylinder-head 7 is provided with an entrance-port 8,through which the explosive mixture is admitted or drawn into theexplosion-chamber by a movement of the piston ofthe high-pressurecylinder away `tached to the main shaft 1G.

from the entrance-port. The cylinder-head may have attached theretoigniters 9 of an;7 suitable form, and one of the wires may be inelectrical contact with a moving part of the engine tomake or break anelectric circuit to produce inthe explosion-chamber, when the explosivemixture has been compressed, a spark in order to explode the gas andgive the first impulse to thepiston.

The high-pressure piston l0 has a pistonrod 1l, which passes through thelow-pressure piston 12 and a packing-box carried thereby, the outer endof the piston-rod being suitably guided or operating between guide-bars,the rod having a pitmau, which is connected to a crank 13 on the mainshaft. The low-pressure piston 12 is provided with a rod or rods 14,which move between Aguide-bars and are connected to pitman-rods, whichare attached to a crank 15, the cranks 13 and 15 being at- Upon theshaft 16 is secured a beveled pinion 17, which meshes with a pinion 18,of such dimensions that the shaft will make two complete revolutions toone revolution of -the pinion 18, which pinion carries a roller or cam19, the function. thereof being vto trip at the proper time alever20,-which is fulcrumed uponv a suitable lsupport and guided so thatoue'end will be in the path of the roller. shown as fulcrumed upon asupport 21, and its long end passes through a guide 22, a spring bearingagainst the guide and lever to force the lever against a stop when it isnot held away therefrom by the cam or roller 19. The lever on oppositesides of the fulcrum when rocked contacts with valve-stemswhich carryvalves for closing the ports 5 and 6,'the valves being actuated in onedirection by springs, the tendency of said springs being to movethevalves so as to close the ports when the stems thereof are not incontact with the lever. The lever mechanism may be modified and othermeans substituted therefor which will properly actuate the Valveswithout in any way changing the characterol my invention.

The inlet-port 8 through the cylinder-head is held normally closed by avalve which is mounted on astem, the valve being held upon the port byspring-pressure, and the inlet-pipe The lever is IOO through which theexplosive mixture is fed to the cylinder mayv lead to a gas supply ormixer.

The cylinderl has at its end which is adjacent to the cylinder 2 a port23, which in a modified form may be a series of recesses v 24, of agreater length thanl the width of the piston 10, so that when thepistons and 12 are adjacent to each other the cylinders will be incommunication through these recesses or ports to establish between thehigh-pressure and low-pressure cylinders communicathefeXit-pipe or toestablish communication between the high and low pressure cylindersthrough the port 5 and way 4.

1n the arrangement shown the shaft 1G and its pinion 17 make a singlerevolution for Y eachl two strokes of the pistons, the pinion 18 makingone complete revolution for each two revolutions of the shaft-forinstance, on the first impulse effected by igniting the charge in thehigh-pressure cylinder the roller or cam is brought in contact with thelever, the cam moving from the points a to b to engage the lever justprior to the end of the first impulse which brings the pistons neartogether.

When thiss eected, the power from the explosive charge passes'from thehigh-pressureV cylinder to the low-pressure cylinder through the ports23, and the cam moving toward the point c from the point b forces thevalve o the seat of the port 5 and permits the valveof the port 6 toclose, so that after the high-pressure piston has commenced to movetoward the cylinder-head 7 the force from the exploded charge will passth rough the port 5, balancing the piston 10 and acting upon the lowpiston 12, this second impulse forcing the products of combustion out ofthe high-pressure cylinder into the low-pressu re cylinder. When thissecond impulse has been eected, the cam moves beyond the point c,releases the lever,which is thrown by the spring, which opens theexitport G and closes the port 5 between the highpressure cylinder andWay14.

It will be noted that the lever is only acted upon during aquarter-revolution of the pinion 18 and the cam is so adjusted thatalmost immediately after the first impulse the cylinders are placed incom munication with each other by the opening of the valve for port 5.

When the second impulse is completed, the third movement is effected bythe momentum imparted by the first and secondA impulses, and during thethird movement the port 5 is closed and port 6 opened, the high-pressurepiston 10 then drawing in acharge of the explosive mixture as saidpiston moves toward the end of the cylinder` having the port 23 or theports 24; yIn the meantime the low-pressure piston moves toward saidports and forces the waste products of combustion out of the cylinderthrough the port 6, which completes the third movement. The fourthmovement is a separation of the pistons,which compresses the charge,which when compressed is ignited to produce the first impulse, ashereinbefore described.

By the construction shown the high and low pressurel cylinders areplaced in communication as soon as the power-stroke is completed andprior to the movement of any valves, and as soon as the pistons arestarted on their second impulse theyare placed in communication by theopening of a valved port and the closing of a valved exit port, and itwill be noted thatthe valves areonly operated during the second impulse,after which they are restored to their normal or initial positions. Inthis type of engine the high-pressure'cylinder is balanced after `thefirst impulse, the engine runs comparatively noiselessly andl mufflersare not needed, as the exhaust is at a very low pressure, and the fullpower of the explosive mixture is utilized, thus insuring economy inoperation. Further, the engine is simple in construction and the partsare easily accessible and can be cheaply manufactured.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the invention, and in said modificationinstead of ploviding the high-pressure cylinder with a single port 23the high-pressure cylinder may have a plurality of recesses or ports 24,which communicate with the way 4 and through said way with the lowpressure cylinder 2. The port 23 or the ports 24 are so positioned thatwhen the piston 10 of the high-pressure cylinder reaches the limit ofits stroke toward the low-pressure cylinder the port is opened to admitthe charge to the low-pressure cylinder and start the piston thereof onits way toward the piston head instantaneously, thus giving the valve ofthe port 5 time to move fully off of its valve-seat.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An explosive-en gine having a high-pressure cylinder and in linetherewith a low-pressure cylinder, the piston-rod of the high-pressurepiston passing through the low-pressure piston, a crank-shaft to whichthe piston-rods are connected so that the pistons will move first towardand then away from one another, avalved port for establishingcommunication between the cylinders and means for placing the cylindersin direct communication at the end of the first movement or impulse toadmit a part of the exploded charge from the IOO IIO

high-pressure cylinder into the low-pressure the other and end for end,pistons for the cylinders, which pistons are actuated to move iirsttoward and then away one from the other, a port for establishingcommunication between the cylinders when the pistons thereof areadjacent and at the limit of the stroke of the high-pressure pistontoward the low-pressure one, and a second port which is opened after thehigh-pressure piston has passed the first-mentioned port, the secondport being held open during,r the movement ofthe pistons away from eachother, substantially as set forth.

3. In a gas-engine, a high-pressure cylinder and a low-pressure cylinderarranged in line one with the other, a way to one side of thehigh-pressure-cylinder ports for establishing communication between thecylinders, said cylinders having open ends, in combination with pistonswhich move toward and then away from one another,each piston beingconnected to the same shaft, a valve for a port between the way and thehigh-pressure cylinder, a valved exit-port, and means for operating thevalve, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.`

4. In a compound gas-engine, the combination with a high-pressurecylinder and a lowpressure cylinder and their pistons, the pistons beingconnected to the cranks of a shaft so that the pistons will move lirsttoward and then away from each other, of valves and an overrunning portas shown, an exit-valve and a valve for establishing communicationbetween the cylinders, the valves being held over their ports bysprings, a lever fulcrumed between the ports and means for actuating thelever, substantially as set forth.

5. A compound gas-engine comprising a double-crank shaft, high and lowpressure pistons which operate in cylinders and are connected to thecranks of the shaft so that the pistons will move first toward and thenaway from one another, a way between the cylinders, a valvedentrance-port, a port between the high-pressu re cylinder and the waywhich is overrun by the high pressure piston, a valved port'between thehigh-pressure cylinder and the way, a valved exit-port, a leverfulcrumed as shown, a gear-wheel on the driven shaft which meshes with alarger gearwheel, a trip carried by the larger gear-wheel which engageswith the lever, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

FREDERICK IV. TOEDT.

Witnesses:

M. F. CooLEY, J. E. MORGAN.

